


The Five Times Emerald Pushed Ruby Away (and the one time he didn’t)

by Vex_ation



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures
Genre: 5 Times Fic, M/M, Profanity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25834573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vex_ation/pseuds/Vex_ation
Summary: Emerald is prickly. Ruby is stubborn. Relationships are a process-- and for them it's a bit of a slow one.
Relationships: Emerald/Ruby (Pokemon Adventures)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	The Five Times Emerald Pushed Ruby Away (and the one time he didn’t)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bakugames](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bakugames/gifts).



Movie nights, as much as Ruby hated to admit it, were always an event. Originally, they were his “me” time, the few hours in the dead of night when he could relax and watch whatever he wanted without fear of judgement or commentary from his gaggle of companions. He could watch drag shows or rom coms or those nature documentaries that Sapphire got him hooked on and absolutely no one could yell at him for watching 10 Things I Hate About You for the 20th time in a row. Unfortunately, having a best friend who was also your neighbor made things a little more complicated, since inevitably said neighbor and her super-hearing  _ would _ catch onto the fact that you watched the same rom com an obscene number of times and would offer to keep you company, then refuse to leave. That was how he got Sapphire upside down on his couch, ruining his perfectly good plain popcorn with powdered nacho cheese flavoring that she found in the back of his pantry. 

And for a while, he only had to deal with her. Sure, her taste in movies was hopelessly cheesy and she couldn’t appreciate a good rendition of Shakespeare if it bit her in the face, but she was only one person, so he could deal. Unfortunately, after a while he started to… enjoy her company. It was shameful, really. 

Naturally, because this was Hoenn, the universe took it as an invitation. Apparently, the law of attraction seemed to stick with Ruby a bit too well-- somehow, Emerald seemed to show up more and more, despite not being invited either. Usually his visits were more related to work than hanging out, since Birch had latched onto Emerald’s knowledge of soil to use in his habitation research and invited him over to pour over documents seemingly every few days. Even still, somehow that ended up with Sapphire dragging Emerald to Ruby’s house, and the two of them had once again invaded every aspect of Ruby’s life. 

There was one slight difference, however: Emerald would never stay to watch the nightly movie. He would stick around until the movie was about to start, then disappear like a phantom. Originally, Ruby didn’t bother himself with it-- handling both Emerald and Sapphire’s commentary seemed like a hassle. Even still, Ruby found himself wondering what the matter was. Emerald was perfectly welcome to stay, and after a while watching him leave and break up their little trio right before Homeward Bound came on left Ruby with this empty feeling within his chest. He couldn’t find the words for it, but somehow he found himself wanting Emerald’s company. It didn't seem complete without him. Plus, they had been friends for what, nine, ten years now? It was finally time to pop the question. 

“Emerald... do you want to stay and watch a movie with us?”

Emerald seemed entirely taken aback, staring in bewilderment at Ruby. Sapphire had already leapt up at the first mention of a movie, hijacking Ruby’s microwave to make some popcorn. As the microwave rumbled, Emerald and Ruby stared at each other, a million emotions flashing behind the blankness of Emerald’s expression. He took a deep breath. 

“... I just realized I need to do some paperwork for Birch,” he said hastily. Before Sapphire returned with the popcorn, he was gone. He watched the movie like he always did, but even with Sapphire’s snarky quips and the taste of fresh popcorn, Ruby felt hollow, like something important was missing that made the whole movie feel dull. He wondered if Sapphire could feel it too.

-

Ruby was unsure of what to do. He had dealt with stubborn people before, namely Sapphire, but when it got down to it Sapphire was a huge softie on the inside who would relent when she was feeling bad. In the end, her empathy towards his plight and her own emotional turmoil would eventually let her crumble and others could come in to help her out. Not so with Emerald. If anything, he made his walls higher when he was hurt, drawing in further and shoving everyone back out. Unfortunately for the both of them, Ruby was stubborn, so the two of them didn’t mix well when Emerald was feeling especially grumpy. It made Ruby want to strangle someone. 

Unlike Sapphire or any of Ruby’s other friends, Emerald was absolutely unrelenting when he was feeling under the weather, which was exactly why Ruby was trekking through the woods with a thermos of soup and trying to track down his elusive companion, who was currently avoiding any attempts to help him like the plague. If Ruby didn’t know any better, he would think Emerald was allergic to help-- though he wasn’t quite as prickly and obnoxious about it as before, his pokemon were still the only ones allowed to give him any kind of assistance or coddling or anything. The thermos was hot in Ruby’s hands and he was starting to get worried. 

Emerald only ever disappeared like this when he got sick, and if Sceptile’s concerned grunts on the phone were any indication, he had no intention of returning unless he was physically dragged. Ruby knew that Emerald hadn’t gotten far, but he could only hope his guesswork was better than his soup-making skills as he climbed into his secret base. 

The lights were dim and mostly everything looked untouched, but to his delight, Emerald was there, wrapped in Ruby’s blanket and sniffling. Ruby gave a little wave, placing the thermos and a spoon he brought in front of him. Emerald eyed the soup warily, unsure of what to do with Ruby and his bizarre gift but unable (or perhaps unwilling) to shout at him to leave. Rather than say anything, Ruby began to fluff the pillows and tidy up, which he was honestly planning to do with or without Emerald huddled on his rug. And so there they remained in their strange little limbo for a while, Ruby dusting and organizing the secret base while Emerald wrapped the blanket tighter and shifted himself so Ruby couldn’t see his puffy eyes or the way his hands shook a little bit from the fever. As much as Ruby wanted to drag him to the doctor’s office by the collar of his shirt for ignoring his cold for this long, he didn’t want to shatter the fragile film of trust they were both standing on. For now, all he could do was give him soup and space.

Unfortunately, the secret base was only so big. The silence was stifling, and though Ruby tried very hard to leave Emerald alone, he could see him drawing in tighter and tighter, shooting the occasional withering side-eye in Ruby’s direction. Ruby just buried himself in the cleaning. After a while though, there wasn’t anything else to dust or mop or vacuum. Even still, it felt wrong to just leave him here. 

Ruby decided to make the bold move of sitting down next to Emerald. Surprisingly, Emerald actually was drinking the soup he had made, which Ruby found downright flattering considering it was… not the most delicious thing he’d ever made. In the midst of his glee, however, he forgot who he was dealing with. 

“Please leave,” Emerald said quietly, staring into the thermos as though the meaning of life was hiding within the broth. Ruby couldn’t help but frown, getting up silently and muttering “I hope you feel better” on his way out of the cave. He had not set one foot outside when Emerald spoke again. 

“Ruby?”

He turned, unable to disguise his thrilled surprise that Emerald was actually acknowledging him his time. 

“Thank you.”

Ruby smiled. “You’re welcome.”

-

Ruby knew he was flirting with death as soon as he made the offer, but if for some miraculous reason this did work, he knew his efforts would pay off. Judging by Emerald’s overwhelmed expression, Ruby did not have too much confidence. Lisia was beside him, seemingly far more optimistic than he was, which was great because she seemed to connect with his friends far more easily than he could. Emerald was sitting in his dressing room, gawking at himself in the mirror as Ruby and Lisia looked over his head. Lisia was massaging his shoulders-- he was either too uncomfortable or scared of hurting her feelings to protest, however, and Ruby found himself bitter that he wasn’t afforded the same luxury. 

As Emerald squirmed in his seat, she mused his hair and put the last finishing touches on his contest outfit, cooing and chirping like a bird the entire time with her cheery catchphrases and compliments. Emerald looked sick to his stomach. 

“You look fabulous,” he assured him as she adjusted the clip. “Ali is making sure Sceptile is in tip-top shape and then you’ll be ready! I’m so so excited for you~”

“Thanks,” Emerald said. Ruby knew to be cautious when Emerald got like this-- it was all one word answers and dodgy glances, but there was anger or anxiety or  _ something _ brewing within him that was ready to explode in a violent burst at any moment. He could only hope it wouldn’t be on stage. Contests were scary at first, but ultimately they were great for confidence building, and if anyone needed a little boost it was Emerald. Thus, they ushered him onstage along with the now pampered Sceptile, Ruby giving him a nice thumbs up as he glanced back nervously. 

“Do you think it’ll go well?” Ruby asked. Lisia sighed, dragging Ruby out to the audience to watch. 

“I’m worried,” she admitted as they sat down. Ruby just stared straight ahead as the lights dimmed. He didn’t know why he encouraged this in the first place. The familiar flutter of pride of intrigue or enthusiasm that normally dominated his heart was absent, pushed out by the nagging worry that maybe Ruby had set his friend up for failure. As the announcer called out each contestant and they showed off their pampered and pristine Pokemon, Ruby just bit his lip and watched in silence. 

Though it wasn’t surprising, Sceptile's initial showing stole the show. Sceptile wasn’t a contest pokemon, but he ate Ruby’s pokeblocks specifically and often joined in with Mumu’s training routines just for the hell of it, so he was well versed in the art of presentation. Emerald seemed proud and maybe even a little smug as the judges oohed and aahed over the sheen of Sceptile’s scales and the confident way he held himself. Emerald was often proud of his Pokemon, far more than when they had first met, and that was what Ruby called progress. But of course, eventually the appeals round came about. 

Ruby didn’t say anything, only gripping his pant legs in anxiety as Emerald’s turn began. He watched Emerald’s subtle movements, the way he instructed Sceptile as the two of them moved around the stage, dazzling the audience with an array of impressive combinations and techniques. Ruby and Lisia found themselves smiling as Emerald got more and more into the routine, making bolder moves and adding his own embellishments until eventually Ruby watched in horror as the fabric of his own uniform caught on his shoe and made him stumble. It was a beginner’s mistake, nothing major-- but Emerald’s still active microphone managed to catch every muttered vulgarity and broadcast it to the entire audience. Even Sceptile froze as Emerald stopped in his tracks, his face turning a brilliant red in a few seconds before he scrambled quickly offstage without finishing the routine. 

Before Lisia could ask him what to do, Ruby was wading through the audience and running backstage, watching Emerald aggressively rip out the hairpins and shred his accessories to pieces as he slammed them into the ground. 

“Em--”

“Leave me alone,” he snapped, running outside to sulk. Ruby deflated. That’s what he got for trying. 

-

Emerald sat alone in Ruby and Sapphire’s secret base. They had already told him he could come to their houses whenever they wanted, but just barging in unannounced made him feel weird. That would make him comfortable in their houses-- too comfortable honestly, and then if they fought or left him what would he do? Then he’d be missing them and their house, and that was no way to live. Plus, Emerald didn’t like the idea of staying in a house for too long. Having a house, even if it belonged to someone else, meant being stuck somewhere. It meant settling down and giving up freedom for one place, maybe a few people. It wasn’t the kind of compromise Emerald wanted to make; maybe not now, maybe not ever. 

And so Emerald made himself a spot in the secret base, because those were easily abandoned or moved around. Most importantly, they were usually empty. They had all the comforts of a house, all the little trinkets and decor that made him think of his two friends, but none of the attachments involved. There was no town, no people to gawk or mock or disappoint. With a secret base, there was only the endless forest and the smell of a small town that you could keep all to yourself, and that was exactly the way Emerald liked it. 

Even still though, hanging out in Ruby and Sapphire’s secret base alone wasn’t really a substitute for speaking with the actual people. He could see all the evidence they had been there-- half abandoned knitting projects and broken vases repaired with copious amounts of duct tape littered the place. But though Emerald could crash there and be among their things, it wasn’t the same as hearing their voices and being in their presence. There wasn’t really a way to replicate the softness of Ruby’s voice as he hummed to himself while grooming his pokemon or the rhythm of Sapphire’s bouncing leg as she kicked the floor while she tried to improve her kanji-writing. There wasn’t a replacement for their playful arguments or occasional breaking of furniture. There wasn’t a replacement for them, and Emerald knew it. Despite being in their secret base surrounded by the sights and smells of Littleroot’s two most famous inhabitants, Emerald found himself missing their company. It bruised his ego to admit it, but he wanted them here. He was lonely. 

Emerald picked up the phone. It would be easy-- so, so incredibly easy-- to just pick up the phone and call. He only had to use one arm; the buttons barely offered resistance. He even had Ruby on speed dial since Sudowoodo loved his pokeblocks and he loved her so he always swallowed his pride to ask for them. He could just call, admit he wanted to hang out. It would be painless, simple, easy, free. Emerald stared at the phone for what seemed like hours contemplating it. 

He pressed the button. His throat was dry. His hands shook a little bit. The phone rang. This was torture. Each buzz made his heart beat that much faster. It was fine though, because this was the middle of the day there were was no way Ruby would pick up and-- 

“Hello?”

Emerald froze, unsure of what to say. 

“Emerald? You alright?”

Emerald felt the feeling return to his fingertips as his shoulders slumped and he let himself relax. 

“Yeah, I just uh… I called you my mistake. Leaned on my phone. Bye.”

Emerald hung up and flung his phone into Ruby’s pile of plushies as though it were covered in poison. What the hell was he thinking?

-

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ruby asked. Emerald looked back at him with a scowl as though he could not believe Ruby would ask such a foolish question. Despite Emerald’s unwavering confidence, Ruby couldn’t help but stare at him in concern. He was currently scaling Sapphire’s kitchen counters in an attempt to find some pokeblocks-- he knew Sapphire stashed them away like a Pikachu storing berries for the winter and he happened to have a full team of hungry pokemon. Ruby had to admit he was surprised at Emerald’s skill, having stacked a stool on a chair and using that to scale up to the countertops, then using a bowl to reach high enough to find the top of the cabinets. Sapphire lived in one of those houses meant for freakishly tall people for some reason, so by the time he was reaching around the shelves, Emerald was already quite high off the ground. Though he was sure Emerald would tear him a new one if he noticed, Ruby had his knees slightly bent and his posture ready in case he needed to rush forward and catch him. 

Emerald grunted. Ruby could see the wavering of the bowls he was standing on and leaned forward ever so slightly. In lieu of getting another bowl, Emerald was reaching as far as he could, standing on his toes on the bowl as he rummaged around the top shelf. A sudden change in expression and a quiet ‘aha’ told Ruby that Emerald had found his prize, but no sooner had he done so did the bowl slip completely out from under him. Ruby was running forward before his mind could even register what was going on, but he saw Emerald’s legs buckle as they hit the countertop and his chin banged into the cabinets on the way down. Luckily, Ruby’s reflexes were almost as good as his fashion sense and he managed to encase his friend in a massive bear hug before he could hit the ground. 

Ruby could feel Emerald’s nails digging into his shoulders and the rapid rise and fall of his chest as Emerald tried to adjust to whatever just happened. Ruby adjusted him in his arms while Emerald blinked in confusion, looking around at the kitchen and seemingly unsure of why he hadn’t hit the floor. Emerald squirmed in his grip slightly, flexing his fingers to feel where he was before he suddenly and violently came to his sense, pushing Ruby away and scrambling backwards until Ruby finally dropped him to the floor. 

“What the fuck?!” Emerald sputtered, his face red. “D- don’t do that!”

“Don’t do what? Save you from getting a concussion?”

“I- I didn’t need help!” Emerald snapped, though he was turned away from Ruby as he tried (and failed) to hide the crimson flush of shame all over his face. 

“I just got worried,” Ruby admitted. “You know I don’t like seeing people get hurt.”

Emerald turned to him, fear and shame at falling buried beneath layers of indignation and annoyance. 

“Well, go find someone else to pity. I don’t need your help.”

Ruby found his anger boiling over. He tried so hard to be nice, to be selfless, to not be patronizing… and look at where it got him. 

“Why are you such an asshole? I’m the only reason your head isn’t split open right now, at least you could be nicer about it.”

Emerald just stared at him wordlessly. For a moment, it was only the two of them and their silent anger, and then Emerald turned on his heel with a huff.

“ _ Thanks _ ,” Emerald spat, the venom in his voice stinging Ruby’s pride as he stamped out of the room. Ruby watched him go, silently putting back the chairs and bowls Emerald had stacked all around. Sapphire came bounding down the stairs soon after, having missed the entire thing while rummaging through her attic. She faltered at the lack of a certain someone, instead pointing to the pokeblocks on the table. 

“What’s up with those?” she wondered aloud. Ruby sighed and threw them back into the cabinet. 

“Nothing important,” he replied. 

-

Ruby was a lot of things. He was pretty, he was organized, and he could be vain. He was high maintenance, a total germaphobe, and had taken a lot of pride in his talents and accomplishments. That being said, he was always--  _ always _ \-- there for his friends when they were showing off the things that they loved to do. He knew what it felt like to search for the people you loved in a crowd when you had put on a dazzling performance, only to see the blank and judgemental faces of strangers. He knew the feeling of hurt and loneliness and swore to never  _ ever _ let his friends feel that way as long as he was around. And thus, that was how Ruby ended up packed into gym bleachers or shoulder to shoulder with the Battle Frontier’s daily crowds.

He had hand painted victory signs, colorful flags, and a team of pokemon with premade cheer uniforms (that naturally matched with his own). He was, without a doubt, the best cheerleader in all of Hoenn. Especially with Plusle and Minun, who liked to join him with their sparking pom poms, he annoyed everyone around him in whatever stadium he was in. He was obnoxious, loud, and he always managed to make Sapphire smile. Emerald usually scowled, but he could see the little smirk when he turned away as hard as Emerald tried to hide it. 

That’s exactly the kind of get-up he was wearing when he went down to greet Emerald during one of his tournament matches. He was doing rather well as usual, but it seemed his opponent was a bit of a sore loser, because he could hear him and Emerald getting into a spat all the way from the bleachers. Emotionally charged conversations weren’t exactly Ruby’s forte, so he just stood by the side of the building and texted Sapphire about the match. She wasn’t the best at regulated battles like Emerald enjoyed, but she did like hearing about the tactics each trainer used and their synergy with their pokemon, so Ruby always liked to fill her in when she couldn’t make it. He was so absorbed in his texting, however, that he didn’t hear the squabble escalate until a loud and familiar “FUCK OFF” pierced his eardrums and he saw the other trainer storm out, looking furious. 

Ruby snuck into the building, concerned, as Emerald stood fuming in the center of the room. He marched up to Ruby, looking for a moment like he was going to explode, then hung his head. His breathing was quick and shallow, so Ruby couldn’t imagine he was ready to speak without a pitiful waver to his voice-- Emerald got like that when he got too emotional and hated the sound of it, so Ruby had seen him just stay silent for as long as his throat still burned. 

“I just got here,” Ruby admitted. “Are you ok?”

Emerald looked up at Ruby, rage and indignation and a few emotions Ruby couldn’t name stirring beneath the surface. Finally, Emerald shook his head. Ruby’s gaze softened as he took Emerald’s hand and led him somewhere private behind the building. Emerald flopped down, his head in his hands as he stared straight ahead. He looked ready to break down at any moment, so Ruby just softly stroked his hand. 

“They’re just jealous.”

Emerald stayed quiet. 

“They don’t like that they can’t beat you, so they say things about you to hurt your feelings. That’s the only way losers like them can feel good-- they put others down to lift themselves up. But whatever they said about you is just the product of someone hateful and bitter. Emerald sniffled loudly, and when Ruby glanced down at him, he could see tears sliding down his still scowling face. Ruby let out a gentle sigh and leaned down to kiss Emerald on the forehead, just like his mom used to do when he had a bad day or lost an important contest. He waited for Emerald to snap at him, to scream or snarl or slap his hand away in disgust. 

For once, Emerald didn’t move, only gently resting his head against Ruby’s shoulder as they watched the wind rustle the flowers up ahead. Ruby put his arm around Emerald, thankful that finally, he wasn’t running away anymore. Neither of them spoke. 

They didn’t need to. 


End file.
